A Pair of Hickory Mash Paddles

I was asked if I could use Sweet Gum and while we DO have these trees on the east coast of the U.S., they are usually just ground up by tree trimmers or sold as firewood. I couldn’t locate a single plank locally so I suggested we use hickory instead as it is VERY dense and has a similar grain pattern to sweet gum.

The customer also wanted a specific hops flower pattern cut into the paddle area – very detailed and really nice. It was a huge chore using my scrollsaw to cut these as thick hickory is REALLY hard stuff!

Due to a width restraint in the lumber I selected, the only way for me to get two paddles out of the piece was to lay the paddles side by side and overlapping in opposite directions – and to chop the handles straight. Doh! I asked the customer if it were OK to get a free upgrade to walnut edge hand grips and was told “COOL”.

At 48 inches long, the paddles are a tad longer than my usual offerings. They are 1 inch thick.

The customer also requested no treatments at all – just bare wood.

I have to say that while these were some of the most difficult paddles to make because of the hardness of the hickory, they were also very fun and to see them finished was a treat!

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4 comments so far

Nice work Bob.That is a really nice hops design, I can see why they liked it.

Hickory is tough stuff, I guess it will last. I have a sweet gum in my yard but have never seen any timber of it. Seems like it would be soft to me – it grows pretty fast and self destructs after 20 years.